The National Mission for Clean Ganga’s Executive Committee has authorized seven projects totaling Rs. 692 crore. Four of these projects are for sewage management in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The National Mission for Clean Ganga, or NMCG, has so far approved 452 projects totaling around Rs. 38,126 crore, of which 254 have been completed. 

Three projects totaling Rs. 661.74 crore for sewage management in Uttar Pradesh were authorized at the meeting. These include the construction of a 100 million liters per day Sewage Treatment Plant in Lucknow, as well as interception and diversion operations under the Hybrid Annuity Mode. 

Another project was allowed for the interception and diversion of the balance discharge of the Dariyabad Pipalghat and Dariyabad Kakahraghat drains, as well as the construction of a 50 million litres per day Sewage Treatment plant in Prayagraj. This project, which would cost roughly Rs. 186.47 crore, will increase the present treatment capacity of the Naini Sewage Treatment Plant in Prayagraj’s sewage district-A to 80 million litres per day. 

A 6 million litres per day Sewage Treatment Plant, Interception and Diversion, and other works at Hapur were also permitted in a smaller project to stem the flow of Hapur city drain into River Kali, a tributary of River Ganga. 

Two sewage treatment plants with capacities of 5 and 7 million litres per day were approved in the National Mission for Clean Ganga’s 50th Executive Committee meeting for Raxaul town in Bihar at an estimated cost of Rs. 74.64 crore for tapping of Pipra ghat drain and Chhatiya ghat drain, respectively, as well as Interception and Diversion works. This project is expected to reduce pollution in the Sirsiya River, which flows from Nepal and enters Bihar at Raxaul in the East Champaran district. 

National Mission for Clean Ganga

A project costing roughly Rs 20 crore to prepare 60-70 Urban River Management Plans in two parts has also been approved, which is a vital step toward better water management in urban areas. 25 Urban River Management Plans must be created during the first year, and 35 Urban River Management Plans must be prepared during the second year. 

The initial phase would cover 25 cities from five main stem Ganga basin states: Dehradun, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Haldwani & Nainital in Uttarakhand; Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Saharanpur & Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh; Patna, Darbhanga, Gaya, Purnea and Katihar in Bihar; Ranchi, Adityapur, Medininagar, Giridih and Dhanbad in Jharkhand and Asansol, Durgapur, Siliguri, Nabadwip and Howrah in West Bengal. This project is part of the River-Cities Alliance under Namami Gange, which gives cities with opportunity to collaborate, work together, learn from each other’s best practices, and share knowledge, paving the way for Gyan Bhagidari, which will lead to transformative solutions. The World Bank will provide funding for this initiative. The River-Cities Alliance, which began with 30 members in 2021, today has over 140 members, including worldwide cities. 

One project was accepted for the start of an M.Sc. Course in Freshwater Ecology and Conservation at the Ganga Aqualife Conservation Monitoring Centre, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, at a cost of Rs. 6.86 crore over ten years. The idea proposes to train a cadre of ecologists and field biologists with competence in freshwater ecology to manage India’s freshwater resources and biodiversity effectively. 

The project targets the lack of scientific information and competent workers in freshwater ecology and conservation. It intends to teach a new generation of field researchers and ecologists to manage and maintain India’s freshwater ecosystems. The initiative will provide a two-year M.Sc. Course in Freshwater Ecology and Conservation that will span four semesters. The curriculum will address a variety of topics related to freshwater ecosystems, including biodiversity and the impact of drivers on these ecosystems. 

One project has also been approved for the construction of an electric cremation in Barkola, Kharagpur, West Bengal. 

The post Sewage treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar among projects worth Rs 692 crore approved by National Mission for Clean Ganga appeared first on IndiaFrontline.